New Beer: September

This Month In Beer: September

The next beer is the 17th Anniversary beer, Götterdämmerung IPA, from Stone Brewing Co. of Escondido, California. Stone is well known for their bold attitude and unabashed pursuit of unique hoppy beers, and the Götterdämmerung IPA is no exception. As a very special India Pale Ale this one hits the IBU peak, clocking in at 102 and has an ABV of 9.5%. Stone breaks from their usual mix of American hops and instead opts for a range of German hops to impart a spicy, herbal, resinous and layered bitterness to this beer. It's powerful and bold with the freshest hop smell of any beer I’ve ever tried. Enjoyed in a standard pint glass, the Götterdämmerung would definitely be a challenge for a new beer drinker to handle, but for an IPA veteran this beer will be a truly enlightening experience. At this point I’m cheating with an October preview by showcasing an Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine from Almanac Beer Co. from Northern California. Barley wine is originally an English strong ale, clocking in at well over 10% ABV; this one has a 12% ABV. This beer shows a bold, sweet, caramel character, and aging it in brandy barrels layers in a tantalizing sweet finish. The pumpkin is added with spices like nutmeg that give it a pumpkin pie flavor. While some barley wines can come in at IBUs of 70 or more, this one is all sweet and spice. My favorite thing about this beer is that in spite of its ABV, it’s only lightly boozy, and still surprisingly light-bodied in spite of the sweetness. Best enjoyed in a snifter, this is a great beer to curl up with on a cool fall evening.